How to Prevent Your [Insert Produce Here] From Turning Brown!

We’ve all been there. Browned apples, browned avocados, browned potatoes, browned artichokes (this one the most!)….I mean, the list goes on. And, we’ve all tried the various tips and tricks that seem to help, at least a bit. Lemon juice, immersed in water, immersed in water mixed with lemon juice. The thinking was that the acid and the water would act as a barrier against the oxygen in the air and help prevent, or at least slow down, the browning. And it does help, but not as much as we’d like.

Luckily for us, the professionals at America’s Test Kitchen discovered a secret that provides us with some long-term anti-browning techniques that really pack a punch! Believe it or not, the secret ingredient is…..Honey! At first, I thought, “yeah, sure…that makes sense…honey’s highly acidic and it’s thick so I can see how that works….but I’m not sure about how it will impact the taste, and while I can see apples and honey being best friends, I’m not sure if I’m so quick to dip some artichokes or raw potatoes in honey…”

The science behind it, however, has nothing to do with the acidic pH of honey. Instead, it delves deeper into the process of browning: an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase is responsible for the browning of fruit. A peptide compound present in honey interrupts this process and prevents the enzyme from doing its job. In order to achieve these amazing results, follow the following recipe:

Mix together:

2 Tablespoons of Honey

1 Cup Water

According to ATK’s results, even a short immersion of 30 seconds of apple slices in the honeyed-water solution resulted in 8 hours of bright, non-browned apples! A few minutes longer, and the apples will remain un-browned for at least 24 hours. Keep this in mind for the next fruit salad you’re preparing for that picnic!